Wednesday, 17 October 2012

Wednesday Wonders #2 – Cacao “The food of the gods”

The first thing anyone says when starting any diet is “I already want
Chocolate!” Well, today is your lucky day because I am about to tell you a very
important secret. You can have Chocolate
every day.

Now I am not talking about the sugar added, super processed chocolate
(You had to know there was a catch here right?). I am talking about the raw cacao
bean. WHAT?Yes. Chocolate is made from
the cacao bean with comes from a fruit. I am sure you heard that eating dark
chocolate is good for you. Well, what is good is the cacao, which contains a
lot of important nutrients for the body. The difference with the raw cacao and
the processed cacao you buy at the store for $3 is everything. The typical Dutch
cacao is processed with a hydraulic press to squeeze out the oil before
alkaline salts are added. Then, it’s mixed with powdered milk and lots of sweeteners
and other crap to create the milk chocolate. The reality is, once the
cacao is heated, it loses a lot of its nutrient content, much like vegetables
do when they are cooked. I guess the secret was more like: You can have Raw Cacao every day.

Let’s take a look at the amazing properties of raw Cacao. It’s a great antioxidant,
better than Blueberries, Goji berries, Açai, Pomegranates and red wine combined. It’s also
a Good source of magnesium, Ion, Chromium, Manganese, Zinc, Copper, Vitamin C,
Omega 6 Fatty Acids and Fiber. I know I don’t even have to tell you all that
stuff because everybody loves Chocolate, Healthy or not!

Because I love chocolate like everybody else, I wasn’t about to give it
up. The good news is, I have never eaten that much chocolate EVER and I love
it! So for all the vegans out there who are biting their nails when scouts are
selling chocolate bars at the grocery store, trying to convince yourself that
it’s worth eating it for a good cause, I have an answer. More than one
actually, but let’s start with one. Now I know there are a lot of ingredients in
this recipe but trust me, once you have all these you can make so much stuff!
These have actually been tested by my favorite audience, my friends, and
everyone loved them!

Raw Chocolate Energy Balls

Prep time: 5 minutesCooking
time: 0Servings: About 20 balls

Ingredients:

1 cup soaked
Buckwheat (Soak overnight, drain and rinse)

1/2 cup
Almonds

1/2 cup
Walnuts

1/4 cup Raw
Cocoa Powder

1/4 cup
Shredded Coconut + more for topping (Raw Organic- I challenge you to compare
the ingredients with regular it’s scary)

Add all ingredients in a food processor and mix until smooth. If the
mixture is not doughy enough, add a bit more water. Place in the fridge for 30
minutes (if you have the patience- I don’t). Roll into balls and top with
shredded coconut. Freeze for a few hours and then place in the fridge (or keep
them in the freezer if you like them more firm).